Sunday, December 29, 2019
Traveling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

First on the agenda is breakfast, a the rather nice breakfast buffet included with the room rate. At about 7:30 AM, I made my way to the breakfast buffet. [I would share a picture of the overall buffet, but I do not feel comfortable taking pictures of people in a fairly close setting without their permission.] So here is a very similar breakfast to that I had yesterday; a very American-style breakfast.

Second breakfast in Bangkok

I had coffee, orange juice, fruit (watermelon, dragon fruit), potatoes, roasted tomato, two small pastries, small omelette, bacon, cereal with raisins, milk for the cereal. This is much, much more than I typically eat, but it is right there, and so, so good.

My flight to Chiang Mai is at 1:15 PM, and check-in is 3 hours before. I want to get the trip out to the airport behind me, so I packed up and left the hotel at about 9:30 AM. The trip on the Sky Train, then the Airport Rail Link takes about 45 minutes, and I arrived, checked-in and checked my bags, and then was free to wander around a bit.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport

Suvarnabhumi airport is a very large airport, the 17th busiest airport in the world and 11th busiest in Asia, handling over 80 million passengers per year and 95 airlines. It was a complete new construction, opening for business in 2006, replacing Don Mueng International as Bangkok’s main airport. Don Mueng was the main international airport in Thailand from 1924 until 2006, and is still in operation serving mostly travel within Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

The name “Suvarnabhumi” is sanskrit for “land of gold”. The name was chosen by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX). The airport is on what had formerly been known as Nong Nguhao, or “The Cobra Swamp” east of Bangkok, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from downtown.

Suvarnabhumi Airport’s main terminal roof is designed with structural elements and bays placed in a cantilevered, wavelike form to appear to “float” over the concourse beneath. This overall design principle was to express the former essence of the site, from which water had to be drained before construction could begin.

View of one of the halls of Suvarnabhumi Airport

Giant Yaks of Suvarnabhumi Airport

One of my favorite decorations in the airport, guarding the large departure/check-in halls are the 16 giant Yak figures. In Thai culture, Yak serve as a mediated icon representing strength, power, and mystical protection not only for the Buddha, but for population of worshipers. Originating from the forests of China, the Yak continues to stand guard at the gates of Buddhist temples (as seen in my previous post at Wat Arun). The Yaks stand as fierce-looking creatures that provide a strong defense against all spiritual enemies, while offering powerful protection for those people that may be in their presence.

A few pictures of a sample of the yaks at Suvarnabhumi airport:

I photographed all 16, and the plaques with their stories. Something to share another time. I made my way to the departure sign to double-check my flight’s gate, and then through security and on to the gate.

One of many departure signs at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The language changes every few seconds from Thai to English.

The flight to Chiang Mai is 65 minutes. The flight was on time, I was in Chiang Mai before 2:30 PM, and on my way to my new accommodation. I have always stayed at The 3-Sis, but they are undergoing a massive remodel, and will not be open for a few more months. I’ll share some pictures in a future post.

Next: First day in Chiang Mai